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10 THE HERALD Thursday, June 24, 2010
THE HUNTER ...
has more than 250,000 members.
Philip Gardner is general manager of the Wests Group,
which includes West Leagues Club, Balance gym and the
Executive Inn at New Lambton, Wests Mayfield, Balance
and the Gateway Inn at Mayfield, and Nelson Bay Diggers
and Balance Nelson Bay.
Last year Wests was the biggest individual registered
club in Australia with 104,000 members.
In its 2008 financial statement the club reported assets
of more than $125 million and a turnover of $77 million.
In the three years prior to the statement it donated $1.7
million to the community.
Sparke Helmore Lawyers is a Hunter company started
in 1882.
It is now nationwide with more than 50 partners,
including in Newcastle Richard Anicich.
Anicich's past and present positions include the Hunter
Business Chamber, Hunter Medical Research Institute,
chair of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
Newcastle and member of the AICD NSW council,
director of Newcastle Grammar School and councillor of
the NSW Business Chamber.
DOZEN FACES OF THE ACES
JOHN DEACON
While between 36,000 and 40,000 school pupils have
passed through the casts of the Hunter Central Coast
public schools production Star Struck since its inception in
1993, John Deacon has been the face of the spectacular for
all that time.
A teacher at various schools -- New Lambton Primary
School being his last before Star Struck launched -- his
initial involvement was with making giant puppets for the
Department of Education's state-wide Spectacular held in
Sydney, and when it was decided to create a show drawn from
Hunter and Central Coast schools he was named one of the
co-directors, in later years taking over as producer/director.
His wife, Julie, has also been part of the Star Struck team.
This year is his 18th production, although his retirement
from teaching last year means he has cut his involvement
to just producer and he intends to step further back next
year, saying it is time to try something new.
Star Struck is a live three-hour spectacular held at the
Newcastle Entertainment Centre annually in June with
a cast of around 3500 young people from Hunter and
Central Coast schools.
WARREN SMITH
Nobbys lifeguard Warren Smith has been the organiser
of one of the Hunter's great sporting attractions, Surfest,
since its first year in 1985.
A Newcastle City Council lifeguard since 1974, serving at
Nobbys since 1976, he has been instrumental in bringing
the greatest surfers in the world to Newcastle -- including
all the men's world surfing champions -- to show their
abilities in front of crowds of sometimes more than 30,000.
He has used Surfest as a base for fund raising for
numerous charities, including SIDS, and has helped
organise photographic exhibitions, model quests and the
food and wine fair Wine and Waves in conjunction with
the competition.
As a lifeguard he has helped with expanding the service
and the mentoring of young lifesavers, and has worked
with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter on rescue techniques.
John Deacon
Warren Smith
Richard Jones
19 01
Federation
of Australia
The Starr-Bowkett Society
becomes Newcastle Cooperative
Building and Investment Society
Limited -- Newcastle's 'permanent'
building society
Newcastle District
Starr-Bowkett Building
Society is formed
1939
1903
Newcastle Permanent
opens our 2nd branch
at Charlestown
1966
1915
BHP steelworks open
Here for good Maitland Flood
1955
WWII submarine
attack on Newcastle
1942